October is National Home Security Month

As the nights get darker and longer, so crime rates increase. Hence the idea of National Home Security Month, supported by Yale. The scheme commenced last year and has been designed to raise awareness for home owners and promote greater home security. Each week of National Home Security Month has a different theme relating to various security topics. This week is dedicated to ‘Protecting Valuables’ within your home, so here are our five top tips for fairly simple things you can do to protect your valuables right now!

Put your valuables away.

It’s so easy to get home and toss your keys and wallet or handbag on the hall table. We leave these things close to the door because we know we’ll need them when we go out. However, this often means they’re also visible to would-be burglars looking in a window or through the letterbox – and convenient for them to grab if you’ve left the door unlocked. Just putting them in a drawer or further from the front door makes a big difference.

Lock your front door.

Many of us leave our front door unlocked until we go to bed at night. However, burglary is a crime of opportunity. If a burglar thinks he can get in and out quickly enough and make a run for it, he will. If the front door is always locked (or at least latched) this can’t happen.

Install a Home Safe.

Ensuring valuables like jewellery and large amounts of cash are locked away safely at home is good practice. As we ppreviously reported in our blog ‘Top hiding place for valuables is the sock drawer!‘ Brits need to re-think where to hide such valuables and a safe really is the most secure option.

Mark your property with an ultraviolet security marker.

Should the worst happen and you are burgled, having your property marked with an invisible to the naked eye marker pen could well mean that the police are able to reunite you with your belongings. Keeping an up to date list of all serial numbers for larger value items (Televisions, Hi-fi systems etc) is also an important record to have in order to re-claim your goods, should they be found. Keep the list locked up in your home safe and register your valuables with the Immobilise service.

Fit an alarm.

Having a fully operational burglar alarm at your property can be a genuine deterrent to potential thieves. There are many wireless free alarm systems available on the market now which can be an excellent alternative, particularly in properties like flats and apartments, where space is a of a premium. They’re also a lot simpler to fit – no running cables or having to call an electrician. You can fit some simple alarm systems yourself, or for something more robust talk to us.

Several of the above security suggestions are also highlighted in our infographic ‘Crime in London‘.

If you would like help or guidance regarding the security of your home then please do not hesitate to call Alexandra Locksmiths on 020 8883 1555 or 020 8364 2000.